Field of the Invention
The invention includes surgical video and data recoding techniques, and, more particularly, includes an apparatus, system and method for synchronizing and recording high definition surgical video and a surgical data overlay.
Description of the Background
High-definition video is understood to be video of a higher resolution than standard definition. High-definition is generally deemed to be any video image with more than 480 horizontal lines in North America, and a minimum of 720 scan lines. Further, images of standard resolution captured at very high rates by a high speed camera, such as greater than 60 frames/second, may also be considered high-definition.
High definition video may be provided via a Digital Visual Interface (DVI), which is a video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). The DVI may be used to connect a HD video source to a display device, such as a computer monitor. DVI was developed as an industry standard for the transfer of digital video content. The DVI is suitable to transmit uncompressed digital video, and can support multiple modes such as DVI-D (digital only), DVI-A (analog only), or DVI-I (digital and analog).
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface suitable for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed/uncompressed digital data from a HDMI source device to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital output device. HDMI replaces existing analog video standards.
The use of high definition microscopes for surgical embodiments, including in surgical and for post-surgical teaching embodiments, is on the rise correspondent with improvements in, proliferation of, and ease of use of, HD equipment. Further, it is well-known to monitor surgical data during a surgical event, and further to display and/or record the data digitally for teaching and learning purposes with regard to surgeries.
However, it is generally not presently the case that surgical data, such as may be accumulated or acted upon during a phacoemulsification surgery, is superimposed via an overlay on high definition video for recording for post-surgical use. Rather, the present state of the art is in its infancy with regard to providing surgical data overlays during use of high definition surgical video, and because the present state of the art does not allow for the recording of the high definition video, the present state of the art does not allow for the overlaid surgical data to be consolidated with, and recorded with, the high definition video.
Correspondingly, the present state of the art also does not provide a high definition recorder capable of recording with an overlay and using two automatically-alternated video data feeds. In rare instances in which a high definition recorder is provided in conjunction with a surgical environment, it is typically an external recorder based in a secondary computing system, and such a recording system typically requires a sophisticated and complex user interface, including requiring a manual selection as between various data feeds and synchronization. The need for this type of manual selection through a cumbersome interface is inefficient and unacceptable in operating room embodiments.
Therefore, the need exists for an apparatus, system and method of consolidation of HD video and a surgical data overlay, such as for recordation in a single consolidated video capture recording of the HD video and surgical data overlay for subsequent playback and/or storage. A need also exists for an apparatus, system and method for recording HD surgical video consolidated with a surgical data overlay in which an automated switch occurs between at least two surgical HD video sources based, at least in part, on then-active surgical aspects.